History in the making.

As Hurricane Sandy rips through the northeast, 10,000 flights (at last count) have been cancelled and we could see that many more cancel over the coming days. In all, nearly 20,000 flights could be cancelled leaving millions of travelers to scramble to alternate means to reach their destination.

Airlines have issued “weather waivers” which allow passengers who are scheduled to travel to/through any of the affected areas to change their reservation without being hit with a change fee. The airlines recognize it is far easier to change a future reservation than it is to try and accommodate a stranded traveler at the airport when every flight, in every direction, is full for days.

Anyone who is traveling to the northeast this week needs to obviously reconfirm the reservation several times a day. If the scheduled flight is cancelled and an alternative flight is offered, give serious consideration to taking what is offered. During times like these trying to get picky because the flight offered isn’t a perfect solution is not a good idea. Take what you can get and fly as far as you can as fast as you can. People who are too selective often find themselves stranded in airports for days, wishing they had taken the first option offered instead of holding out for a better flight.

The unknowns associated with this storm are many, which makes it difficult (if not impossible) to predict when we will be able to return to a normal operation. This isn’t a storm we can compare to a winter blizzard, because power issues, airport and runway damage and a host of other dynamics will be brought into play.

All that to say, more to come so stay tuned!